FCBARCELONA.CAT

12.08.2008 20:11

Guardiola ready for the challenge

David Puig

Josep Guardiola knows it won’t be easy for Barça to beat Wisla, and is calling on the fans to give the team the support they deserve on Wednesday night.

Beating Wisla is no easy matter. FC Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola told his pre-match press conference that he has noted some strong elements in the Polish champions. He has studied the rival in depth and knows all about their strong points. “I have seen enough videos and studied reports and can tell you Wisla is a team that plays very good football, they know what they have to do and are well organised. I am worried because they aren’t that well known but I know enough to be sure that we have a very tough series of games ahead of us”.

Main men at Wisla

Without wanting to give away too much about his analysis of Wisla, Guardiola mentioned some of the players that need to be checked. “I have seen quality in their team, with men like the striker Pawel Brozek, and his twin brother Piotr. They have a strong midfield with players like Cantoro and Sobolewski and the two left-footed centre backs. They are a good team and we’ll need to run and play a lot to beat them”.

Help of the fans

Guardiola knows that as there is so much at stake, fans will go out of their way to be there in the stadium to give the team the support they need. “I hope they come to cheer us on, if they are on holiday near to Barcelona they can still come back to the Camp Nou for the game, it’s not far by car. They can stay here for supper, and watch the game. There are great reasons for coming to the ground. We will be doing all we can to ensure that everybody enjoys themselves” said Guardiola

Special game

It will mark Guardiola’s debut at the Camp Nou as a manager, and asked how he feels, he said “I’m a bit fidgety, especially because it’s such an important game. I will have some strong feelings tomorrow. I just want the game to start because of what it means for the club to qualify for the Champions League”.